There seems to be a differece between mentalism and magic as well. One reason is that we just have better intuition about physics than we do about pari psychology, you know. We get this idea about physical conjuring. But as soon as you're getting into somebody's head, it's disturbing and provocative. And the methods are not ot e. Methods are not obvious. There may be partly a physical method, but partly just a psychological method.
The most fundamental lesson that all magicians learn is that seeing is not believing. In episode 195, Michael speaks with internationally acclaimed sleight-of-hand artist and 35-year activist for scientific skepticism, Jamy Ian Swiss, about his lively, personal book, The Conjuror’s Conundrum, that takes readers on a magical mystery tour of the longstanding connection between magic and skepticism. Shermer and Swiss discuss: Swiss’s first encounter with fraud, the paranormal and supernatural, magic and mentalism, hot/cold/universal readings, pychics, talking to the dead, James van Praagh, belief, the afterlife, “the amazing” Kreskin, the Alpha Project, and more…